Monica Marie Goodling (born August 6, 1973) is an American lawyer who formerly served as a political appointee in the
George W. Bush administration
George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college vict ...
, best known for her role in the 2006
dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy. As Principal Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...
, she illegally hired and fired U.S. attorneys based on their political beliefs. However, Goodling was granted
prosecutorial immunity
In Law of the United States, United States law, absolute immunity is a type of sovereign immunity for government officials that confers complete legal immunity, immunity from criminal prosecution and suits for damages, so long as officials are acti ...
in exchange for her testimony. The
Virginia State Bar publicly reprimanded Goodling in May 2011 for having "improperly utilized political affiliation and other political considerations when making hiring decisions for career positions."
Education
Goodling is a 1991 graduate of Northeastern High School in
Manchester, Pennsylvania, and received her
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in 1995 from
Messiah College
Messiah University is a private interdenominational evangelical Christian university in Upper Allen Township, Pennsylvania, near Mechanicsburg.
History
The school was founded as "Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home" in 1909 by ...
. After completing her bachelor's degree, Goodling started her legal education at
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...
.
Deeply religious and politically conservative, she later transferred to
Pat Robertson's Regent University
Regent University is a Private university, private Christian university in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. It was founded by Pat Robertson in 1977 as Christian Broadcasting Network, Christian Broadcasting Network University and chang ...
School of Law, where she received her
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
degree in 1999.
Political and legal career
Goodling worked with
Tim Griffin
John Timothy Griffin (born August 21, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas, attorney general of Arkansas. He served as the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, lieutenant governor of Arkans ...
as an
opposition researcher for the
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
during the
2000 presidential campaign. She joined the Department of Justice's press office after
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
became president. She moved to the department's executive office, which is responsible for budgeting, management, personnel management and evaluation, later becoming deputy director of the executive office.
Goodling was hired by U.S. Attorney
Mary Beth Buchanan
Mary Beth Buchanan () is the former United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. She was nominated by George W. Bush on September 5, 2001, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 14, 2001.
Buchanan was the ...
to work in the executive office.
Less than a year later, Goodling moved again, to the Attorney General’s office, working as the White House liaison.
According to David Ayres, senior chief of staff to
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
John Ashcroft
John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, Lobbying, lobbyist, and former politician who served as the 79th United States attorney general under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. A Republican Party (United States), R ...
, "She was the embodiment of a hardworking young conservative who believed strongly in the president and his mission".
According to
Bud Cummins, one of the fired prosecutors and an
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
Republican, "She was inexperienced, way too naïve and a little overzealous".
After moving to the Attorney General's office, she retained some authority over personnel matters. Goodling's authority over hiring expanded significantly in March 2006, when Gonzales signed an unpublished order delegating to Goodling and
Kyle Sampson, his then chief of staff, the power to appoint or dismiss all department political appointees besides United States Attorneys, who are appointed by the President. The delegation included authority over interim United States attorneys (who are appointed by the Attorney General) and heads of the divisions that handle
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
, public corruption, environmental crimes and other matters.
[
]
U.S. attorneys controversy
According to e-mails, Goodling was involved in planning
controversial 2006 U.S. attorney dismissals and in later efforts to limit the negative public reaction.
Goodling "warned of potential political problems with
Tim Griffin
John Timothy Griffin (born August 21, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas, attorney general of Arkansas. He served as the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, lieutenant governor of Arkans ...
's interim appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas and underscored White House interest in getting it done."
Reportedly, Goodling "took a leading role" in
Bud Cummins's dismissal.
Resignation
On March 23, 2007, she took an indefinite leave of absence. On March 26, 2007, Goodling cancelled her upcoming appearance at a Congressional hearing, citing her
Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. No Department of Justice employee has ever exercised their Fifth Amendment rights with respect to official conduct and remained an employee. On April 6, 2007, Goodling announced her resignation from the Department of Justice, writing to Gonzales, "May God bless you richly as you continue your service to America."
Limited immunity to testify
On April 25, 2007, the
House Judiciary Committee
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, f ...
voted 32-6 to grant Goodling
immunity
Immunity may refer to:
Medicine
* Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease
* ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press
Biology
* Immune system
Engineering
* Radiofrequence immunity ...
and immediately authorized a
subpoena
A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...
. In early May 2007, the Department of Justice's
Office of Professional Responsibility
The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), part of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and supervised by the FBI, is responsible for investigating lawyers employed by the Department of Justice who have been accused of miscondu ...
investigated whether Goodling violated federal law in making "hiring decisions on assistant U.S. attorneys based on party affiliation."
Initially, commentators speculated that Justice Department officials could try to bar Goodling's testimony to the House Committee, on the grounds that it might interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation. However, the Justice Department subsequently agreed not to contest the congressional grant of immunity.
On May 11, 2007,
U.S. District Court Chief Judge
Thomas F. Hogan signed an order granting Goodling immunity in exchange for her truthful testimony about the firings.
House Judiciary committee hearing
Goodling appeared before the
House Judiciary Committee
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, f ...
, on May 23, 2007, and provided to the committee a written statement that she read at the start of her testimony.
[
]
In response to questions during the hearing, Goodling stated that she "crossed the line" and broke civil service rules about hiring, and improperly weighed political factors in considering applicants for career positions at the Department of Justice.
Link to ''Washington Post'' transcript of the hearing.
Investigation of Goodling's hiring practices
On May 3, 2007, the ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' reported that the
launched an internal probe into whether Goodling "illegally took party affiliation into account in hiring career federal prosecutors" in her work at the Department.
On May 12, the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' published an article about Goodling repeatedly engaging in "prohibited personnel practices" while at the Justice Department. Several Justice Department officials told
Robin Ashton, a criminal prosecutor at the Department of Justice, that "you have a Monica problem." Ashton was told that Goodling "believes you're a
Democrat and doesn't feel you can be trusted." Ashton was denied a promotion during Goodling's tenure, but in the Obama administration, Attorney General
Eric Holder
Eric Himpton Holder Jr. (born January 21, 1951) is an American lawyer who served as the 82nd United States attorney general from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Holder was the first African Ameri ...
determined that she was qualified and appointed her as Counsel for Professional Responsibility, the head of the Justice Department's internal ethics unit.
One week after Goodling's testimony before the House, the Department's Office of the Inspector General and Counsel for the
Office of Professional Responsibility
The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), part of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and supervised by the FBI, is responsible for investigating lawyers employed by the Department of Justice who have been accused of miscondu ...
confirmed in a letter
to the
Senate Judiciary Committee
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally known as the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the United States Departm ...
, that they were expanding their investigation beyond "the removals of United States Attorneys" to also include "DOJ hiring and personnel decisions" by Goodling and other Justice Department employees.
On July 28, 2008, a Justice Department report concluded that Goodling had violated federal law and Justice Department policy by discriminating against job applicants who were not Republican or conservative loyalists. "Goodling improperly subjected candidates for certain career positions to the same politically based evaluation she used on candidates for political positions," the report concluded. In one instance, Justice investigators found, Goodling initially objected to hiring an assistant prosecutor in Washington because "judging from his resume, he appeared to be a liberal Democrat type." In another, she rejected an experienced terrorism prosecutor to work on counterterrorism issues at a Justice Department headquarters office "because of his wife's political affiliations."
Role in other DOJ controversies
On May 7, 2007, ''
National Journal
''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes ...
s "Inside Washington" column reported that it was Goodling who ordered drapes to be placed over the partially nude
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
statues (''
Spirit of Justice'') in the Justice Department's Great Hall during Ashcroft's tenure as Attorney General. At the time, the department spent $8,000 on blue drapes to hide the two giant, aluminum statues, according to DOJ spokeswoman
Barbara Comstock
Barbara Jean Comstock (née Burns; born June 30, 1959) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 10th congressional district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was a member o ...
. The coverings were removed in 2005.
On July 15, 2009, ''
Washington Blade
The ''Washington Blade'' is an LGBTQ newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The ''Blade'' is the oldest LGBTQ newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the '' Philadelphia Gay News'' and the '' Gay City New ...
s "The Latest" column reported that it was Goodling who asked Michael Elston to lead a 2006 screening committee for the Justice Department Summer Internship Program. The column goes on to describe an evaluation of apparent discriminatory application process similar to the 2007 attempts to remove Department attorneys based on non-qualifying criteria. The research shows that under Goodling/Elston, 82% of applicants with liberal affiliations on their resume were rejected for the program while only 13% of applicants with conservative affiliations were rejected.
Current status
Goodling married Michael Krempasky, co-founder of
RedState. She is currently employed under her married name, Monica Krempasky, at Corallo Media Strategies, a Virginia public relations firm run by former John Ashcroft spokesman
Mark Corallo.
Notes
External links
Transcript of Monica M. Goodling's May 23, 2007 testimony before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States House of Representatives''Congressional Quarterly'' via ''The Washington Post,'' May 23, 2007.
Goodling's donation to the 2004 election campaign of George W. Bush at Fundrace.orgArchived copy of Goodling's Regent University website, circa 1997Ranking of Law Schools by ''U.S. News & World Report'' (2007)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodling, Monica
1973 births
Living people
Regent University School of Law alumni
Messiah University alumni
Washington College of Law alumni
United States Department of Justice lawyers
Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy
People from York County, Pennsylvania
College Republicans
George W. Bush administration personnel
United States Department of Justice officials
Virginia Republicans